Meow Mix :" Vagina Like a Force Field"

World War 3 has broken out between 2 of Sydney's leading ladies of the media.
 In one corner is perennial TV star Kerri-Anne Kennerley and squaring up to KAK is News Ltd columnist Annette Sharp (right)  in the Daily Telegraph.                 

In a piece titled "IT'S a terrible thing to grow old in television '  Sharp has hauled Kennerley over the coals for calling her "anti-woman' in an interview in the coming August edition of the Australian Women's Weekly.  
Sharp, who was once challenged to a bike ride around Sydney by Russell Crowe had already fired a few shots at Kerri-Anne who will be 60 this year in this article about the Logie Awards : 50-somethings used the Logies to remind TV their assets are bountiful. She implies Kennerley had to "move heaven and earth " to score a ticket to the gala TV awards now that she is "out of contract".

Kerri-Anne was dropped from her morning TV show in 2011 after decades at the Nine Network, ironically where Sharp was once in charge of publicity. In 2003 at a gala party at the Nine studios to celebrate 70 years of publishing the Women's Weekly, Kerri-Anne was seated at the table ( a guide to your status at the network)  next to Nine supremo  Kerry Packer .
 

Kerri-Anne & John at the Pol Roger Champagne dinner.

Since Nine dropped her chat show Kerri-Anne has been signed by Kerry Stoke's Seven Network and performed on Dancing With The Stars last year and it's rumoured she may front an interview programme for Seven although Sharp infers that project may not be as solid as Kennerely believes.

Whatever the outcome of this spat, Kerri-Anne is still a popular party-goer and fixture on the social circuit. She attended Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby premier last week and earlier was at an exclusive dinner at Chiswick Gardens for Pol Roger champagne as our snaps show. It's not like Kerri-Anne is short of money either or needs the work. 
Toy train lover hubby John Kennerely was one of the brains behind Britain's Littlewoods Pools and made a fortune. The pair have recently moved from a palatial Rose Bay home to trendy Woolahra where John has extended his train set (he has hand built a reproduction of Shrewsbury Station) into the garden.
 At Chiswick Kerri-Anne showed off a new pair of stilettos she had picked up in Rodeo Drive where the pair had just holidayed for a fortnight. This looks like a bunfight that may run and run.
                                                                  

Russell Crowe & Annette Sharp

Perhaps the last word should go to top New York publicist Kelly Cutrone who had a spat in 2011 with Sharp's Daily Telegraph colleague Ros Reines who had a few digs at Cutrone's client Rupert Noffs who is cutting a swathe through New York and the Hamptons under Kelly's well connected wing.  Reines savaged Noffs calling him a social climber and for good measure called Cutrone's Sydney launch of Noff's Gideon Shoe store "tragic" and accused Kelly of "creating mayhem" during her Sydney visit.
Cutrone responded in this Sydney Morning Herald profile of Noffs this March :
"What do I care? Oh, wow, I care if some gossip columnist in f...ing Sydney, Australia hates me? It's like a mosquito in my world." Ouch !. What fun. Just in time to brighten up these foggy Autumn days.

Winning lines : Annette Sharp : "One should not brandish a vagina like a force field and expect a torrent of fawning, hyper-ventilating flattery in return." Superb !

The Gatsby Effect

It's not just the fabulous era of flappers that is cleaning up at the box office with The Great Gatsby. Now comes what looks to be an amazing film about the life of Liberace and the excesses of the 70s & 80s. Featuring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as his lover Scott Thorsen  (on whose autobiography the film is based) Behind The Candelabra opens in June. Here is  a taster:

Baz Keeps The Party Going

 

Erica Packer, Baz Luhrmann & Neil Perry

Baz Luhrmann has a huge hit on his hands with The Great Gastby and has thrown yet another shindig to celebrate.
                                                                  Gatsby is cleaning up at the box office : to date the flick has grossed over $147M well on it's way to covering the $180M cost and it still doesn't open until this Wednesday in Australia , one of the world's most lucrative markets. This will be his most successful production to date and will give a huge boost to the local film market- it was shot entirely in Sydney around Paddington, Manly and Birchgrove.

The success also vindicates the decision by the NSW state government to invest $40M in the film.
All this was yet another reason for Baz and wife Catherine Martin to host another swell dinner at Neil Perry's Rockpool Bar & Grill, a cavernous restaurant with marbled lined walls and a balcony fora full orchestra to .serenade guests.
Right : Ricky Martin with Baz and (below) with Catherine Martin.

Colour & Movement in Kings Cross

A new luxury Italian eatery with a Brazilian themed opening night was always going to be a must attend bash and the launch party for Janus in Bayswater Road, Kings cross did not disappoint.
JANUS owner George Michael threw his doors open for 300 media and VIPs for a decadent party full of food, sparkle, gyration and tons of truly wonderful food..
Jesinta Campbell looked elegant in a Ferragamo dress and cosied up to  racing driver Aaron Zerefos to sip champagne and taste chef Marcello Guzzo's great nibbles.

Michael & Angela Moore                                                 George Michael, Jesinta Campbell & Aaron Zerefos

 Guests included designer Steven Khalil and Georgia Osborne, Donny Galella, Josh Flynn and Bianca Venuti-Hughes who tasted dishes from a table of antipasto, cheeses, salamis and an amazing array of sweat breads.

Gatsby Rules !

Baz Luhrmann and The Great Gatsby bandwagon rolled into Sydney tonight for the Australian premiere and it was a huge hit with the audience.

The film's stars flocked to the Hoyts Cinema Complex in Moore Park, right next door to Fox Studios and Centennial Park where much of the movie was filmed. All that was missing was Leo DiCaprio who had other filming commitments but there were heaps of movie stars to keep hundreds of fans screaming their heads off and defying the pelting rain.
Forget what the critics say : Gatsby is a visual feast and a joyous romp through The Roaring Twenties. It's the first 3D film that the Shuttle has been able to sit through comfortably. Catherine Martin's sets and designs are sensational, over the top and there really is never a dull moment in this flick.
No-shows but reported elsewhere as attending : Ricky Martin, Seal and Kate Ritchie.

Gatsby fever strikes

The modelling Stenmark twins                                       Lachlan & Sarah Murdoch braved the rain

the brolly brigade at The Great Gastby

exclusive : More Fallout from the Hacking Scandal

Mary-Ellen Field                                                                                            Mark Colvin

One of the lesser know victims of the tawdry hacking scandal in the UK was the Australian Mary Ellen-Field who guided the career of supermodel Elle McPherson, as reported in the Shuttle in 2011.
Elle became suspicious that messages between her and Field were ending up as gossip items in the media. She unceremoniously sacked Mary-Ellen who had helped McPherson build her reputed $65M fortune.

As has now been discovered Elle's phone had been hacked by News Corp tabloids and Field was innocent. When McPherson sued News Corp the case was settled confidentially and Elle was soon fronting a TV show produced by the corporation.

Field was left in the lurch and launched a lawsuit against News Corp.
Now she has been forced to withdraw after being unable to definitely prove a link between her sacking and the hacking of McPherson's phone. Faced with little help from her former employer (they breed those girls tough in the Shire) she has been left with a huge legal bill, her own and News Corps' costs.

At least Mary-Ellen can hold her head high. As we reported back in April 2011, ABC News radio's Mark Colvin was the first Australian outlet to interview Field over her dilemma.
London born Colvin, one of Australia's most respected broadcasters kept in touch with Field to see how her case was going and they developed a friendship.
And when Mary-Ellen Field discovered Colvin was under-going dialysis she offered him a precious gift : one of her kidneys. The transplant took place in December 2012.
Colvin is now recovering and will hopefully be back on the airwaves soon.
 As the saying goes : It's an ill wind that blows no good. Out of the shocking hacking scandal that has engulfed News Corp, one person has emerged as a heroine with dignity and every reason to hold her head high, albeit facing financial ruin.
Perhaps News Corp could finally show a smidgen of class and pick up Mary-Ellen Field's legal tab.

Triumphant Baz

Despite the nay saying critics, Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby looks like being a stellar Box Office success : the only success that really matters.

Yesterday US cinemas had raked in over over $90M in takings in the USA alone and that's before it opens in the UK, throughout Europe and ahead of Australia's gala premier this Wednesday evening when 1000 guests will front up for a sensational premier and after-party.

Luhrmann continues to defy movie snobs with his lavish productions : from his Oscar winning Romeo & Juliet to Moulin Rouge and the critic panned Australia, each production has reaped huge financial rewards and now the influential Huffington Post has given the flick the seal of approval with this article:
 Why the Critics are Wrong About Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby'
And get set for a year of Gatsby 1920's fashions as illustrated in the latest The Lady Magazine, the first off the rank. 

Mary Poppins Revealed.

Julie Andrews is in town on her very first visit to Australia for her show An Evening With Julie Andrews in which she reminisces about her 60 year career on the stage and in movies.
At a press conference today she gave the assembled media a taste of what's in store including anecdotes about her many co-stars and some revealing information about her loss of voice 15 years ago:
"I was in denial for about a year thinking maybe I just wasn't healing as fast as I should. When it was quite obvious that I was not, then I had to deal with it."
She's a warm and friendly lady and full of charm and has some quite fascinating tales to tell. We can't tell you any of them though as we are sworn to secrecy. You have to buy tickets to the show-pretty cheap at $99 to hear all!

An Evening With Julie Andrews premiers in Brisbane on May 18 and then moves to Perth, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne.
It will be hosted by Sydney based actor, Nicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich von Trapp in The Sound of Music.

Nicole Kidman is In Style with Jimmy Choo

Our Nic has picked up a few more gongs. She was inducted into In Style Magazine's inaugural Women of Style Hall of Fame Award last night whilst being named as the new 'Face' ( surely feet?) of Jimmy Choo shoes.
A glittering dinner was thrown at the Carriageworks in deepest darkest Redfern and attended by 400 of the countries top ladies including Daniele Spencer, Gillian Armstrong and assorted TV personalities.

Nicole was awarded for her charity works that include raising money for the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick.

Kidman is in Cannes (pictured right) to support her pal Baz Luhrmann for the launch of The Great Gatsby (she's also a Cannes' Film judge) and rumours are she will be in Sydney later this month for the Australian premiere.

Daniele Spencer                   Sarah Jane Clark                  Alice Burdue                               Sarah Birdsill

Kate Ritchie                            Melissa Doyle                                  Carla Zampatti

Baz Hits Paydirt !

Baz Luhrmann's latest offering, the 4th interpretation of The Great Gatsby may have been receiving less than stellar reviews but it's a runaway box office success.

Gatsby opened in 3535 cinemas across the USA on Friday and raked in over $51M just behind Iron Man 3's $71M for the weekend ( Iron Man has made almost $1B to date). This is a major success for Baz and the estimated $180M Gatsby budget should be re-couped in no time once the movie receives it's world-wide release. And various government mandarins both State and Federal who put money into the film will be breathing a huge sigh of relief.

The Shuttle's spies disguised as Aussie tourists in New York say the film seems to be particularly popular with young females- no doubt because of Leo Di Caprio but there is a real buzz about Joel Edgerton's performance. And the Gum Leaf Mafia are having fun playing spot-the-Sydney location posing as Connecticut.

Gatsby opens in Sydney on the 22nd of this month with all the film's stars on hand and an after party for 1000 guests at Fox Studios.

Sydney's Newest Cross-Dresser

There's something about Virgin boss Richard Branson- he loves to slip into a frock at the drop of a hat, or in this case, allegedly after losing a bet.
He seems to have taken quite a fancy to this dark-hued man who is promoted from by-stander to passenger being spoon fed by Richard. Just what is going on here? I think we should be told.

Sydney's drag queen set have been moaning recently about the dearth of young trannies coming through the ranks to entertain on the Golden Mile of Oxford Street. Perhaps Branson can lend a hand !


Right : a previous drag episode saw Branson impersonating the Bride of Frankenstein.

Bulgari Art Award 2013

The Bulgari Art Award is an annual award to support contemporary Australian painting.
Each year, the Gallery identifies a significant painting by a mid-career Australian artist to be acquired for the collection.
The award, sponsored by Bulgari, consists of $50,000 for acquisition of the painting and a residency for the artist in Italy valued at $30,000. The total award of $80,000 makes it one of the most valuable art awards in Australia.
The 2013 winner is Jon Cattapan for his work Imagine a Raft (Hard Rubbish 4+5) 2012.
And the award is presented at a slap-up dinner for around 100 guests. This year's chef : Tony Bilson, the Godfather of Australian cuisine.

The Great Gatsby gets a Great Review...

USA Today's entertainment editor Dennis Moore has kind words to say about "The Great Gatsby." Baz Luhrmann's  fourth big screen treatment of legendary novel.: there were others in 1926, 1949 and 1974.  Moore talks about how the film was shot in 3D but little about the acting of Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey McGuire.
"The director is known for valued visuals more than storytelling. but in this case, it is mesmerizing. It is gorgeous. The costumes, the sets are lavish. but Leo really gets into the role of Gatsby and carries you all the way through the film." So there.
 Some pics from the premiere and after party by our man on the scene-  New York's top society snapper Patrick McMullan:

Queen of Pop- Kylie,                                                                   Baz & Catherine                                         Rachel Taylor

Gwen Stefani & Katy Perry                                   Leo DiCaprio, Baz & Carey Mulligan                                 Oliver Stone

 

2013 Met Ball : “Punk: Chaos to Couture

Model Coco Rocha attends the 2013 Met Ball, celebrating the “Punk: Chaos to Couture” exhibition at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art wearing an Emanuel Ungaro leopard print gown embellished with gilded ornaments. 

Dame Vivienne Westood wears one of her own creations embellished with a photograph of the incarcerated Bradley Manning. That's our Viv !

Video Of The Day : The Queen Explodes

 Dame Helen Mirren berates a team of ear-splitting drummers outside the Gielgud Theatre in Soho, London who performed while she was trying to give a performance as The Queen.
The drummers were advertising London’s As One In the Park gay music festival. What is about gay festivals and bloody drums ?. Bad enough that the old phoney Madonna is adored by the gay community but they have penchant for loud drums as any Sydneysider who wanders near Oxford Street will discover.
Video by Chris Dangerfield.

Mama Mia ! Maria & The Mafia

She's our favourite Italian import - the mammary gifted songstress Maria Venuti . Maria hosted a charity fundraiser for the very worthy Variety Club at the Finger Wharf and told the Shuttle of her plans to take Sicily by storm. She was born there some 73 65 years ago and plans to return with a group of wide-eyed Aussies for a tour around the fascinating history packed Mediterranean island.

"No, I know nothing of the Mafia" says Maria." we'll be having too much fun doing other things to worry about stuff like that." She assures me the tour will be an unforgettable 14 days of  the finest restaurants, wineries, chefs, beaches, and historic sites. You can be sure with Maria in charge there won't be one boring moment to be had. .
And helping her is her gorgeous daughter Bianca, pictured right with her mom.

Venuti's Sicilia runs from Saturday 22 June – Thursday 4 July 2013

For more detailed information, enquiries and bookings please contact Caterina at ATI Tours on +61 9798 0588 or visit www.atitours.com.au

Maria & show-biz pals at the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo for the Variety Club

            

  Here is our snap of movie star Ewan McGregor at the harbour-side launch for the new LG television set last Wednesday, or as he calls it : "a fucking good telly".
Doesn't he look handsome !

Bushells Tea, Murdochs, China & Ewan Mcgregor

Altona                                              Carthona                                                    Iona

The only news that really matters in this town is property prices. One week they are up, the next down according to our scribes on the tabloids totally uninfluenced by the massive amount of advertising dollars that stream in to the dead tree press.
Naturally news today that Sydney's "most expensive house" Altona has sold for a whopping $50M plus has pulses racing. It's been snapped up by a Chinese mega millionaire 75 year old Xiuzhen Ding who also owns a splendid bay side manor in  Melbourne.

As the Shuttle has reported before, Altona in Point Piper was once owned by Rupert Murdoch's nephew Matt Handbury and his then wife Fiona. They held superb parties attended by the likes of yours truly. Fiona copped Altona in a divorce settlement, promptly sold it for a reputed $29M to publisher Deke Miskin, and then nipped off to the UK  to join the British aristocracy as Lady Dartmouth when she married William Legge the grandson of legendary romance novelist Barbara Cartland and stepbrother to the late Princess Diana.

         The Handburys                            Chris & Tracey-Ann Oxley

Just around the corner from Altona in Darling Point is a complex of 3 houses owned by one family, the Oxleys who inherited the Bushells Tea fortune. Carthona sits in the middle, a magnificent Gothic pile which Tom Cruise once tried to buy for Nicole Kidman.  On one side is Beach House and on the other is the superb new modern abode built for Christopher Oxley with, as the other two houses have, the most commanding views of Sydney Harbour that sweep from the Opera House to The Heads.

It was an appropriate location for the launch of a new LG $16K television set  launched at great expense today by LG's "ambassador", movie star Ewan McGregor. Ewan reckons this TV makes him look sensational , or as he puts it more simply :"just say that they're fucking good tellys". The tellys go on sale around the world later this year. Ewan also had some nice words to say about Baz Luhrmann who directed him in Moulin Rouge, describing his  1996 flick Romeo & Juliet as one of the "great movies of all time". Luhrmann's own house Iona, the 1880's mansion in Darlinghurst is also on the market for $15M.